Mudhumadhavi Ragini, a Ragamala illustration, ascribed to Puran Nath (Hunhar II), provincial Mughal, Lucknow, circa third quarter 18th century

inscription in Persian above with description of the Ragini, inscribed in border below "amal-i Puran Nath musavvir"

From an album formerly in the possession of Henry Chaplin M.P., first Viscount Chaplin (1840-1923).
Gifted to Admiral Henry John Rous (1795-1877) in 1874.
Sotheby's London, 10 July 1968, lot 88.
Collection of Edwin Binney 3rd, San Diego.

Indian Miniature Painting from the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd, Portland Art Museum, 1974.

E. Binney, 3rd, Indian Miniature Painting from the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd, The Mughal and Deccani Schools, Portland, 1973, no.97, pp.122-3.

Laid down on card, the central image with strong colours, the white of terrace with some hairline creases, very minor flake to stomach of middle figure, sky near trees with a small smudged section, as viewed.
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This is a rare work by the artist Puran Nath, also known as Hunhar II (fl. circa 1740-80), who was one of the leading artists of the last decade or so of Muhammad Shah's reign, along with Nidhamal, Chitarman and Govardhan. Like many of the works of this period, Puran Nath's paintings are characterised by strong colours and crisp forms, but often imbued with a more sharply defined clarity than those of his colleagues. For a discussion of Puran Nath/Hunhar in his early period, see McInerney 2002, particularly p.29, figs.14-16.

With the dispersal of the court atelier in Delhi after Muhammad Shah's death in 1748, Puran Nath accompanied the Mughal prince Ali Gauhar (later Shah Alam II) to Murshidabad in 1758-59 (see Roy 2012, p.22) and moved to Oudh around 1765 (McInerney 2002, p.29), where he continued to produce paintings characterised by a freshness and clarity, as here. For discussion of his later career, see Skelton 1956, pp.16-17, Roy 2012, p.22, Falk and Archer 1981, pp.136, 193, nos.269-274, Losty and Roy 2012, pp.151.

The present work is a Ragamala illustration of Madhumadhavi Ragini, the two lines of Persian in the upper border providing a description of this mode:
"The image of Madhumadhavi, the fifth wife of the son of Bhrun, with her body in gold colour, uncovered head, beautiful, with her eyes full of excitement and expectation of seeing her beloved, walking gracefully in the corner of the garden and her face showing drips of sweat, during the season when flowers have opened up...."
For discussions of the iconography of Madhumadhavi Ragini, which often includes an approaching storm, see Ebeling 1973, nos. C22, C23, 220, 250, 251.